What is there to minister to the silent zones of man as an individual?

How about a cold chicken bone on a paper plate at midnight,
how about a lurid lipstick lengthening or shortening at your command,
how about a styrofoam nest abandoned by a "bird" you've never known,
how about a pair of windshield wipers pursuing one another futilely
while you drive home alone through a downpour,
how about something beneath a seat touched by your shoe at the movies,
how about worn pencils, cute forks, fat little radios, boxes of bow ties,
and bubbles on the side of a bathtub?
Yes, there are the things, these kite strings and and olive oil cans
and Valentine hearts stuffed with nougat,
that form the bond between the autistic vision and the experiential world;
it is to show these things
in their true mysterious light
that is the purpose of the moon.

Tom Robbins
from
"Still Life with Woodpecker"
1980